Marina Fiorato
Marina Fiorato is an Italian-English author, designer, actress and film producer.
Biography
Born in Manchester,[1] with a Venetian father, Fiorato was raised in Langcliffe, North Yorkshire, and studied history at Durham University and at the Master's level at the University of Warwick,[2] where she specialised in the study of Shakespeare. After her time at university, she studied art and worked for a period as an illustrator and film reviewer. She co-produced and starred in the award-winning short film Devilwood (2006), and also appeared in The Wrong Blonde, An Ideal Husband (both 1999),[2] Maybe Baby (2000) and Tuesday (2008).[3] She also designed tour visuals for bands such as U2 and the Rolling Stones and for films including Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.[2]
Fiorato wrote her first novel, The Glassblower of Murano (2008), in bookshop coffee shops so that she could research the Venetian setting. It was rejected by numerous publishers before being accepted by Beautiful Books Ltd., but was internationally successful,[4] and two years later she earned a large advance for The Botticelli Secret (2010).[5]
Marriage and children
Fiorato is married to filmmaker Sacha Bennett.[1] She has two children.
Bibliography
- The Glassblower of Murano (Beautiful Books) (2008) ISBN 978-1-905636-24-2
- The Madonna of the Almonds (Beautiful Books) (2009)ISBN 978-1-905636-43-3
- The Botticelli Secret (Beautiful Books) (2010) ISBN 978-1-905636-80-8
- Daughter of Siena (John Murray) (2011) ISBN 978-1-84854-561-8 (US edition The Daughter of Siena, St. Martin's Griffin, ISBN 978-0-312-60958-0)
- The Venetian Contract (John Murray) (2012) ISBN 978-1-84854-561-8 (US edition The Venetian Bargain, St. Martin's Griffin, ISBN 978-1-250-04295-8)
- Beatrice and Benedick (St. Martin's Griffin) (2015) ISBN 9781250077134
References
- Monica Bottino, "La scrittrice inglese che ama il Rinascimento genovese", il Giornale, 25 November 2011 (in Italian)
- "Dales Folk: Best-selling writer Marina happy to be back in town", Craven Herald & Pioneer, 10 January 2009.
- Marina Fiorato at the IMDb
- Javier Espinoza, "Faces in the News: Art Imitating J.K. Rowling: Marina Fiorato was inspired by the Harry Potter author to write her novel in cafes, and it's now a best seller", Forbes.com, 9 December 2008.
- "Marina Fiorato: novelist who wrote in cafés earns £250,000 advance", The Telegraph, 16 May 2010.